August 8, 2017
Is Your Organic Farmer’s Market Certified?
Image courtesy of Healthy Diet Advisor
Do you know if organic foods sold at the farmers market really are organic?
This can be a tough one to answer. Small farmers, with sales of less than $5,000, are exempt from the USDA’s National Organic Program standards so you’ll often have to take their word for it. The best thing to do is to ask them about their growing philosophy. The only sure bet is if they are certified organic by a third-party firm and they should be able to provide you a name of the certifying agency so you can call and check to make sure they are up-to-date on their paperwork and procedures. They are not allowed to use the USDA Organic logo unless they have been certified organic.
* Sourced from Garden.LovetoKnow.com. Visit http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Local_Farmers_Market for more in-depth details.